Blog: Win Tickets to See Some Bludgeoning Metal and Taste McMenamin’s Moonlover Saison!

North Dakota based black metal band Ghost Bath are pairing with McMenamins’ Brewer Drew Phillips to bring fans a once in a lifetime pairing of band and beer this Wednesday July 13th at Lola’s Room. Brewed specially for the night is Drew Phillips’ concoction: Moonlover Saison. Described by McMenamins as, “a refreshing ale featuring many classic Saison flavors and aromas, Moonlover is meant to evoke sights and smells of 19th century wakes and funerals. You’ll first notice a distinct floral aroma, imparted by the addition of organic elderflower post-fermentation.” Additionally, ” Moonlover also underwent the process of minor kettle souring, which imparted a subtle sourness to complement the citrus aromas added during fermentation. Grassy Tettnanger Hops lend an earthiness to the brew, balancing the light, bready body of Pilsen Malt. Unmalted Wheat and the naturally cloudy yeast strain give the ale aghostly appearance.”

Brewer Drew Phillips explains the beer in his own words: “

Our goal for the Blasphemous Collaboration Series is to present a unique, one time experience to fans of the artists. The bands and I isolate key elements of their work and create a beer that best represents their sound, scene, thematic focus, etc. For Ghost Bath, death obsession and ritual permeate their work. A “funerary” ale, specifically a saison, was what we settled on, and incorporated elements that evoked images, aromas, and flavors of a 19th century wake and funeral. The beer style itself originated as a “reaping” ale. Migrant farmhands (some of them harvesting hops, rye, wheat and barley) in Flanders and Wallonia would drink it as a refreshment, and were allotted a certain amount each day. Maybe only us beer nerds think of this, but every time I drink a saison, I think of a lot of weathered, tired folks drinking together in late summer, scythes laid nearby. Death came early and often for a lot of rural laborers, and infant mortality was extremely high, thus wakes and funerals were a frequent occurrence. Wakes were more intimately tied with the dead in the 19th century, with families literally staying awake all night with the corpse present in the room. Flowers adorned the nearby casket to mask the sour smell of death. To represent that, we used organic elderflower to impart a distinct aroma over the hint of tart sourness brought on by a technique called “kettle souring,” in which bacteria are allowed to sour the beer wort before it’s boiled. We used unmalted wheat and Tettnanger hops to add earthy, grassy flavors, as well a “ghostly” pallor to the beer. By combining all of these elements, we hope to give Ghost Bath’s audience a literal taste of a funeral to enhance the themes of the music and the experience of seeing them live. Concerts, like funerals and brewing, are also ritualistic (if more passively) which is a nice bonus to the whole thing. In terms of speaking directly to the music, modern saison’s tend to taste delicate and dry, but are powerful in terms of alcohol content–I like to think that’s a bit of a reflection of the heartbreakingly beautiful melodies Ghost Bath delivers before dropping into the heavy howls and frantic tremolo riffs.”

We’re offering one lucky winner two tickets to the show for a chance to see some great national and local metal and revel in tasting a beer that’s only available for a single night. All you have to do is tell us your favorite beer and band combo, our favorite will be selected for a pair of tix!